Owners looking for others to help restore 19th Century Joliet home

'There’s nothing in the world like it'

The owner of the historic Frank Shaver Allen House is looking for someone else to take up the mantle of restoring it to its former glory.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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The home on 608 Morgan St. was built in 1887 by renowned architect Frank Shaver Allen, who designed many homes and public buildings in the city.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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It has the city’s signature limestone exterior but it also has an unusual reputation for being haunted.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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However, it’s not the supposed presence of ghosts that’s a deterrence for potential buyers but the amount of repairs needed.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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Owners Ron and Vivian Childers bought the home in 2014 but lack the time needed to continue rehabbing it.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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The house is on sale for $98,900, according to Trulia, a real estate website.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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“We would like to see it put back to the way it was,” Ron Childers said.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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About $60,000 is needed for repairs, mainly electrical and heating, he said. But it’s worth it because it’s not a “cookie cutter” home, he said.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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“We loved the older Victorian [homes] and it was just an original house. There’s nothing in the world like it. It’s the only one,” Childers said.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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For some people, the haunting might deter their interest but others “geek out” about it and want to visit the home, said Realtor Stephen Roake. The supposed history of ghosts has also apparently warded off potential intruders.
“I think probably the kids are scared of it,” Roake said.
Roake said he hasn’t witnessed anything. Childers said he and his wife lived at the home for almost three years and “nothing evil ever happened to us.”

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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The historic nature of the house has attracted about 122 visits, making it one of the most visited sites in the city, Childers said. Besides the limestone exterior, the home has a cylindrical tower and ornate woodworking, according to Trulia.
“It’s Victorian but also Romanesque … It’s just got a lot of history,” Childers said.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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Allen designed the home the same year he and his family moved to Joliet, according to CityofJoliet.com, a website that promotes the city.
He went on to design the Marcus Kraker residence, 225 N. Hickory St., the Patrick C. Haley Mansion, 17 S. Center St., and Joliet Central High School, 201 E. Jefferson St.The high school is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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Allen’s home could be a historic landmark as well, Roake said. Whoever ends up owning it can apply for landmark status and it would allow them to freeze taxes on the property for 10 years, he said.
There’s been efforts in the past to make it a landmark but they were stalled.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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Childers emphasized the home is not a mansion but a cottage. It was a “humble man’s house,” he said. He hopes somebody will pick up where he and his wife left off with rehabbing it.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

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“We look at it like we don’t own it. We have possession of it for the time being,” he said.